Continuous process for addressing and forming envelopes



Sept 13, 1966 J. HEUFF ammsa CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR ADDRESSING ANDFORMING ENVELOPES Filed Aug. 26, 1963 OQCQPOQOOO OO v'ta INVENTOR JACKHE FF ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,272,095 CQNTINUOUS PROCESS FORADDRESSING AND FQRMING ENVELOPES lack Heutf, 1284 Osborne Ave., Verdun,Quebec, Canada Filed Aug. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 304,353 lClaims priority,application Canada, July 17, 1963,

880,390, Patent 686,619 9 Claims. (Cl. 93-61) This invention relates toa continuous process for addressing envelopes. More particularly, thisinvention relates to a continuous process for making and printingenvelopes with addresses corresponding to mailing lists.

During recent years, there has developed an increasing number ofcommercial establishments that mail large quantities of individual mailto different persons or corporations. Such mail may comprise periodicalbills, no tices, etc. and often runs into hundreds or even thousands ofindividual pieces of mail for a given mailing. Moreover, such mailings,as in the case of periodical bills, are repeated on a time basis, e.g.monthly, although the entities to whom the mail is addressed are notalways the same i.e. some addresses are changed, others are eliminated.Therefore, there exists a need for a versatile method of handling suchmailings in a fast, simple and economical manner.

Several methods are already available for printing series of envelopeswith addresses corresponding to socalled mailing lists. The simplest butmost expensive method consists in individually addressing each envelopeon a typewriter. Another method consists in printing gummed labels withaddresses corresponding to those on such mailing lists and to stick suchlabels on regular envelopes. Such a method has many drawbacks, the mostimportant of which is that the gummed label detract from the appearanceof the envelope and, if stuck manually, also involve costly labour.

The most commonly used system for such mass addressing is that in whichplates are made corresponding to each name on the mailing list, theseplates then being used for printing each name individually on anenvelope. Further to the cost of making individual plates, which makessuch a system very expensive, this system suffers from a lack ofversatility in that losses are incurred whenever a name i canceled fromsuch lists and costs are increased whenever it is desired to add a newaddress.

With the advent of computing machines, a further system has come intobeing, in an effort to decrease cost and manpower as well as to provideversatility.

In this method, the flap-carrying face of series of envelopes is securedby adhesive means to a continuous web which can then be processedthrough a business machine. U.S. Patent 2,363,417 issued November 21,1944, to V. E. Hezwood shows a method and apparatus for makingassemblies of series connected envelopes. As shown in thi patent,assemblies thus produced are usually further processed into zig-zag orfan-folded stacks. Such stacks can then be fed into computing orbusiness machines being fed at the same time with punch cards whichcontain information equivalent to the complete informa tioncorresponding to the name and address of each entity on the desiredmailing list. As is well known, by properly processing the aforesaidassembly through a computing machine While feeding the machine withpunch cards, each envelope will be printed on its front face with thedesired data including name and address of the entity to whom it isdesired to mail certain material. After the tab paper is processed, thethus addressed envelope is separated from said tab paper and is readyfor mailing while the tab paper is destroyed. Further to the wasterepresented by such tab paper whose function is only to serve asconveying means for the envelope, difficulties 3,272,095 Patented Sept.13, 1966 are involved in processing the envelope due to the combinedthickness of the envelope and the continuous stock tab paper as theenvelope is secured in a non-permanent fixed manner to the tab paper.

The present invention provides a simpler, speedier and more economicalprocess, when compared with prior art practices, for addressingenvelopes in a continuous manner.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide acontinuous process for printing and making envelopes with addressescorresponding to those on a given mailing list in a continuous, simpleand efficient manner.

The objects of the present invention are achieved by our process whichcomprises, in its broadest aspect, continuously feeding a singlethickness of continuous stock tab paper consisting of a plurality ofinterconnected tab units to a computing machine suitable for handlingsuch paper and having a printing mechanism for translating into printonto one side of each of aid tab units information fed into it containedon a punch card system, said information corresponding to a series ofnames and addresses, while controlling the travel of said continuousstock tab paper to present a selected area to said printing mechanism,whereby each said unit is printed in said selected area with a name andaddress corresponding to said information of said punch card system, andconverting said tab units into envelopes while using as the front faceof each envelope the printed side of said unit.

The present invention further consists in addressed envelopes preparedby the aforesaid process.

The invention will now be described in further detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a stack of continuous stocktab paper, part of which is shown after having been processed inaccordance with an initial step of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of the paper of FIGURE1 which has been printed in a specified area in accordance with afurther step of the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing a stack of blanks, made inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, from an alignedstack of envelope units, before such blanks are processed into afinished envelope, such blanks being shown in relation to the portion ofthe tab paper from which they are die-cut.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of each such blank ready for furtherprocessing into a finished envelope.

FIGURE 5 is also a perspective view showing the folded and assembledenvelope with the flap of the envelope being opened.

With specific reference to the accompanying drawings and more especiallyto FIGURE 1, a stack 10 of continuous stock tab paper is shown partly infolded position and partly in unfolded position. Continuous stock tabpaper is the common appellation of paper provided for feeding intocomputing machines. This paper is usually fan-folded lengthwise or canalso be in roll form. As shown, each separate unit 11 of this paper isusually fanfolded along line 12. This paper is also usually perforatedsidewise, e.g. along line 12, for ease in separating units from oneanother. This continuous paper is also usually provided with multiplepin holes 13 on either or both sides in relation to its length forassistance in feeding the paper through the machine as well as forcontrol of the travel of the paper so as to present a selected area tothe printing mechanism by engagement with the feeding means of thecomputer.

Such continuous paper should be chosen according to the size of theenvelope required, as will be seen later. This paper is processedthrough a computing machine.

Computing machines presently available will process paper 8" x 22"widthwise having a minimum of 3 /2 lengthwise. Similarly, the thicknessand weight of the paper should also be chosen according to the qualityof the envelope desired. Preferred continuous paper is the continuousstock tab paper sold as 40M, i.e., paper having a weight of 40 lbs./1000 sheets having a size 17" x 22", having regularly spacedperforations running on each side of the paper in a lengthwise manner,and fan-folded lengthwise along perforated lines, said perforated linesbeing spaced regularly from one another.

This continuous paper is allowed to be processed through a computingmachine in the direction of the arrow. A section of FIGURE 1, startingfrom line X shows in perspective part of said continuous stock tab paperafter it has been processed through any such computing machine withprinting applied to one surface of each tab sheet or unit, in accordancewith the invention.

It will be understood that any computing machine with a printed outputcan be used in the process of the invention. More specifically, theinvention contemplates feeding continuous stock tab paper into acomputing machine with a printed output which can handle continuous formpaper, said printed output corresponding to information fed into orstored in said machine. Examples of said computing machines are IBMtabulator 403 and IBM tabulator 1401/2/3, as is well known in the art.Continuous paper 10 being fed into such a computing machine while saidmachine is being fed simultaneously or has previously been fed with andhas stored the information contained on a punch card system, theinformation desired is thus printed on each unit 11A, 11B,

FIGURE 2 shows a unit 11A as obtained after passing through thecomputing machine as described above. Also outlined in FIGURE 2 in thinlines, 14 is a contour of an envelope blank to be die cut from said unit11A as will be described hereinafter.

The printed stock tab units 11A, 11B are then processed so as to beseparated from each other or, alternatively, a series of 2 or 3 suchunits is separated from a similar series. This operation is facilitatedwhen folding lines between units are perforated as shown for line 12.

After the separation step, the units are ready for processing intofinished envelopes. All known methods of making envelopes or convertingpaper into envelopes can easily be applied to the present process aswill be obvious to persons skilled in the art. One such process is shownin the drawings in which, with specific reference to FIG- URES 3, 4 and5, a stack of strips consisting of units such as eg 11A, 11B is shown inFIGURE 3. As shown, the envelope blank 15 is die cut from this stackalong the contours 14, to form a stack 15 of blanks of envelope size,each pre-addressed with the printed data as described.

The envelope blank 15 is now ready for folding along folding lines in aconventional manner to form a finished envelope as shown in FIGURE 5 byway of illustration, the finished envelope being shown with its flapopen.

Although information other than the name and address of the entity towhom the envelope is to be sent can be printed in the above manner, itis usually more convenient to have any such further data, such as, e.g.,name of sender, printed in accordance with conventional processes whichare less expensive because of the repetitive nature of such additionaldata. However, it is often convenient,

prior to subjecting the continuous paper to the process described, toprint additional information on a selected area of the reverse side ofsaid paper.

I claim:

1. A process for addressing and making a series of envelopes whichcomprises continuously feeding a single thickness of continuous stocktab paper consisting of a plurality of interconnected tab units to acomputing machine suitable for handling such paper and having a printingmechanism actuatable for translating into print onto one side of each ofsaid tab units information corresponding to a series of different namesand addresses fed into it, said continuous stock tab paper beingprovided with locating means adapted for co-operation with feeding meansof said computing machine to control the travel of said papersuccessively to present a selected area of each of said tab units tosaid printing mechanism while actuating said printing mechanism wherebyeach said unit is printed in said selected area with a name and addresscorresponding to said information, die cutting each of said printed tabunits to produce an envelope blank and converting each of said blanksinto an envelope using as the front face thereof the printed side ofsaid blank.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein said information fed into thecomputing machine is contained on a punch card system.

3. A process according to claim 2, wherein said information has beenstored in said computing machine in advance of the feeding of the stocktab paper into the machine.

4. A process according to claim 3, wherein before feeding of the stocktab paper into the computing machine, the stock tab paper has beenpreviously printed by conventional printing methods for matter remainingconstant between different envelopes in the series.

5. A process according to claim 4, wherein said locating means comprisesmeans provided in both marginal edges of the stock tab paper adapted forengagement with the feeding means of the computing machine.

6. A process according to claim 4, wherein said locating means comprisesa series of perforations extending the whole length of the stock tabpaper parallel with each marginal edge of the latter and said feedingmeans comprises a series of protrusions adapted to engage with saidperforations.

7. A process according to claim 6, wherein before die cutting each tabunit, such unit is separated from the stock tab paper.

8. A process according to claim 7, wherein a series of separated printedtab units are assembled into an aligned stack and such series die cuttogether in a single operation.

9. A process according to claim 4, wherein said stock tab paper ispartially perforated between each tab unit along a line perpendicular tothe marginal edges of the paper.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 953,220 3/1910 M.Fadden. 2,694,351 11/1954 Winkler et al. 93-63 2,847,915 8/1958 Rapp93-63 X 3,174,427 3/1965 Taylor 10l93 3,185,075 5/1965 McGregor et al.10193 BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner. v

1. A PROCESS FOR ADDRESSING AND MAKING A SERIES OF ENVELOPES WHICHCOMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING A SINGLE THICKNESS OF CONTINUOUS STOCKTAB PAPER CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF INTERCONNECTED TAB UNITS TO ACOMPUTING MACHINE SUITABLE FOR HANDLING SUCH PAPER AND HAVING A PRINTINGMECHANISM ACTUATABLE FOR TRANSLATING INTO PRINT ONTO ONE SIDE OF EACHSAID TAB UNITS INFORMATION CORRESPONDING TO A SERIES OF DIFFERENT NAMESAND ADDRESSES FED INTO IT, SAID CONTINUOUS STOCK TAB PAPER BEINGPROVIDED WITH LOCATING MEANS ADAPTED FOR CO-OPERATION WITH FEEDING MEANSOF SAID COMPUTING MACHINE TO CONTROL THE TRAVEL OF SAID PAPERSUCCESSIVELY TO PRESENT A SELECTED AREA OF EACH OF SAID TAB UNITS TOSAID PRINTING MECHANISM WHILE ACTUATING SAID PRINTING MECHANISM WHEREBYEACH SAID UNIT